Assignment #16- Emma Laurizen- achievement culture

Getting into college has been ingrained in my mind for as long as I can remember. I've had the same internal dialogue playing in my head on repeat since I was 12, a series of numbers “4.0, 36, 4.0, 36” and if you're anything like me these numbers hold the same importance in your life. A 4.0 GPA and a 36 on the ACT, scores near impossible 20 years ago, now being held as standards in students’ minds, who fear that without these numbers they will never get into a good college and therefore never be successful. And now, along with these scores, we are pushed to fill our college resumes with presidencies, varsity sports, and awards, all while remaining sane and getting 8 hours of sleep a night. These impossible standards have built what is known as Achievement culture. This achievement culture has been a theme in movies for decades, being shown through characters like Gabriella in High School Musical, Brian in the Breakfast Club, along with all the other high school movie valedictorians. The achievement culture only became toxic when it began pushing the standards for students higher and higher, which is what most of us are familiar with today. These standards are quickly pushing us backwards. 

Today I will discuss the toxic achievement culture having to do with college admissions in America. To do this I will first explain the exclusive nature of the system, followed by its harmful effects, and finally what we need to do to fix it.

The achievement culture, like most nationalized cultures, is exclusive. It is no secret that it caters to students who are from higher income households. Students who can afford a college planner, out of school tutoring, and ACT help. Students who come from lower income households and minority students are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to the college admissions process and the achievement culture associated. 

According to the Washington Post, we've already seen that students from wealthier households have scores more than 500 points higher on the SAT, compared to those from lower income households. Paying to take the ACT or SAT multiples times can cost families upwards of several hundred dollars according to CNBC. High standardized test scores are becoming more and more important for applying to colleges. With Ivy leagues having an average admittance score of around a 34 on the ACT.

Students who come from lower income households and minority students are often unable to afford resources such as ACT/SAT tutors and college planners. The high standards already associated the achievement culture become almost impossible for these students. Scott Jaschik, an award-winning journalist who specializes in the college admissions process, explained this dilemma. He stated “ The reality is that most low-income students in the United States rely on high school counselors to guide them through the college admissions process,” and goes on to say that while these counselors are highly devoted they often serve upwards of 482 students on average, and lack the time to provide in depth individual attention, that a personal college planner could. He then compares this to programs from the Independent Educational Consultants Association, where college planning packages range from 850- 10,000. They provide grade assistance services, ACT/SAT tutoring, college essays help, help finding colleges, and many more services. Services that in today's achievement culture can be vital to getting into schools like Harvard or Yale, completely out of reach for lower income students.  What this all shows is that achievement culture is incredibly exclusive, and it is quickly becoming the standard and leaving out smart and talented students. Now that we have examined the exclusive nature of the achievement culture, this leads me into my next contention of examining the harmful effects of this exclusive achievement culture.

We as juniors, are currently experiencing and have been experiencing the stress of high performance and college admission. And I'm not alone when I say that these high standards set by achievement culture make me feel trapped and stressed. A student like us, high achieving, “gifted,” endless opportunities, who also felt trapped inside the culture had the following to say “so much pressure is put on kids to do good, and a lot of kids make mistakes. One slip up makes a kid feel like the smallest person in the world.” He went on to say “you are looked at as a loser if you don't get a certain GPA or test score.” His words are not to unfamiliar from the ones in our own minds, but unlike Scott Jaschiks article, this writing did not come from a hard hitting expose, it came from one of the four suicide notes of 16 year old Patrick turner, all addressed to “whoever reads them” written as advice.  A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found 30% increases in suicide from 1999 to 2016 and by 2018 this number jumped to 70%, and part of this increase is being blamed on educational stress, and in a Stanford survey of more than 43,000 high performing students, it was found that nearly 70% reported high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. With many stating schools, and college admissions as the cause. The achievement culture not only perpetuates a decline in mental health, but also creates a stigma, the New York Times explained that when high performing students begin to struggle academically, instead of reaching out for help they remain silent, in fear that they will be viewed as a failure by peers. And by the time these students get to college, 1 in 5, according to a survey of over 67,000, stated that they had been so stressed they considered committing suicide. 

These numbers don't lie, not only is this achievement culture exclusive, but its harmful. So how do we solve this?

Well let's look to Patrick turner, not only did he describe the flaws of achievement culture, but he offered some solutions. He began by addressing students saying “be nice to everyone, and most importantly be inclusive,” while this is not the most comprehensive solution, there is much to be said about kindness. If my speech has proven anything, it's that you are not alone in this frustrating, sometimes defeating stage of education. If we want to rid ourselves of the toxicity of achievement culture, first talk about it, and second work together. Brennan Barnard, in an article written in Forbes, also suggested using the school system. He explained that along with pushing students to be as successful as possible, we should also give them the skills to cope when they experience failure. These skills of empathy, mindfulness, and humility are often viewed by the school system as “soft skills” that have no place in the classroom. But if we want to work towards a better, more inclusive future, these skills are vital. We do not want a culture of achievement in our schools that produces more cases like that of Patrick turner, a culture that leaves out minority and low income students, a culture that leads to 1 in 5 college students considering suicide. 

So to conclude, we must use the resources around us such as the school system where learning is already being conducted to teach students how to cope with failure and seek help when they are struggling. And finally we must  be nice to everyone, and most importantly, be inclusive